1.21 Gigawatts!

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Well, they’re probably not brand new, but they are new to me…

FireFTP
FireFTP is pretty amazing because it gives you a 2-pane ftp client view when you access an ftp site with your browser. This will end up being a huge time saver for me since I frequently need to upload a single file to a site, and having to use a seperate FTP client for that purpose is overkill. Don’t get me wrong, using a proper ftp client has it’s benefits but for small, quick transfers, FireFTP is the right tool for the job.

Chromatabs

Tints browser tabs with a color specific to the website loaded. It can pick a random color automatically (based on the site’s hostname), or it can pick a colour based on the site’s tab icon.

I think it’s pretty neat. It adds some colour to the drab grey firefox themes we have no choice but to stare at all day long. Admittedly, I haven’t been able to get it to work. I’m sure it’s because of a conflict with the TabMix Plus extension. REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN I FIX IT, THOUGH.

edit: Yep, it was tabmix.

Usually when a telemarketer phones me, I am too much of a wuss to just put the phone down in their ear. I mean, these people irritate the living crap out of me, but they are only doing their job. A job of a door-to-door salesman who doesn’t have to look you in the face.

So I came up with a brilliant idea today. From now on, when I get a call from an unknown number, I’ll be sure to answer the phone thusly:

“Hello you have reached js’s office, how may I help you?”
A telemarketer will then ask if he can speak to Mr. js, but I will promptly side-swipe him and demand to know what the call is about. When it becomes clear that it is a sales rep, I shall be able to put the phone down promptly before the telemarketer has a chance to start his long-winded read.

On the other hand, if it is a call I am willing to take, I will be sure to put the person on hold for a few seconds while he gets put through to Mr. js himself. Then I’ll answer the phone in the same tone of voice, thereby producing hilarity or a sense of creepiness to the person on the other line. It matters to me not.

Jokosher - A free and open-source multi-track studio! If you don’t know what that means, then bluh bluh bluh.

Jokosher makes it very easy to record sound/music, podcasts, mixing mutliple sound sources, splitting tracks or tracks to create audio worthy of being played on radio. You can import multiple formats (Ogg Vorbis, WAV, MP3, FLAC and more) and also allows you to export it to another format, should you wish to do so.

Unfortunately, this is only available for Linux distributions. Seeing as it’s still quite a new project, I wouldn’t rule out future Windows releases just yet. If you are looking for a Windows program that can do the same, take a look at Audacity

Found this amazing site today while using StumbleUpon.

From the site:

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a research tool dedicated to scientific studies of nature. Enroute to illuminating the forces shaping our cosmos, HST has accumulated a cosmic zoo. The Hubble Heritage Project sees this instrument also as a tool for extending human vision, one that is capable of building a bridge between the endeavors of scientists and the public. By emphasizing compelling HST images distilled from scientific data, we hope to pique curiosity about our astrophysical understanding of the universe we all inhabit.

In other words, click the link for awesome space pics!

Thumbnails copyright NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).

There’s also a thread on somethingawful about this very topic.

You can say what you want about Microsoft’s Operating Systems, but you shall keep a respectable tone regarding their hardware!

I’ve been actively using a computer since I was about 11 years old, and by far the most comfortable mouse I have used was a Microsoft one. I’m talking about those old, heavy ceramic types that absorbed your palm sweat and turned an odd-yellow after a few years of use. I think I actually still have that mouse buried in a cupboard somewhere.

Fast forward a few years and suddenly Microsoft is releasing amazing looking keyboard and mouse peripherals. Myself, I’m using a Laser Mouse 6000 and the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 (pics of mouse and keyboard). Great for preventing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Specially aimed at games, Microsoft brought us the Habu! The mouse that can handle 20-G of acceleration! Hardcore gamers’ demands are finally being met. I must admit, it does look very appealing. Not sure if that bright blue light will end up distracting me or burning a hole in my cornea.

LifeChat LX-3000
I’ve been searching for a decent USB headphone/microphone combo for years now and I finally settled on this here hardware. It feels decent. Doesn’t have that cheap, lightweight design that we have come to expect from cheap chinese knockoffs. The sound that is recorded from the microphone is clear and the noise-cancellation works as advertised. Also, when the headphones cover your ears, you can hardly hear any outside noise. Perfect if you feel you need to disappear from the background noise of your nagging wif busy lifestyle.

Yes that’s correct. Free software. And not just free, it’s actually usable, too!

Just going to list some of the amazing free/open source software that tends to make my electronic life a little more bearable each day.

Free Download Manager
From the site:

Free Download Manager (FDM) is a full-featured download accelerator and manager. It is absolutely free! Using this software product you can easily download a list of files and whole web sites from any remote server via HTTP, HTTPS and FTP. With FDM the downloading process will be as easy as never before!

To be honest I have used an abundance of download managers in my day, and nothing compares to the usability of FDM. Highly recommended.

Google Talk
If by now you don’t have a gmail account, then what is wrong with you? Gmail is the most amazing free web-based email system on the internet, and coupled with gmail comes an integrated browser based chat client! Keeping in touch with your friends has never been simpler.

Along comes Google Talk. With integrated voice chat, file transfers and offline messaging… what more could you want? Webcam support maybe >:/ Other than that it’s a very minimalistic and non-intrusive chat client.

WinRaR
Probably one of the oldest and most used compression formats today, .rar archives are all around us. Look around you for a bit and see if you can spot one! Their natural habitat includes the pantry, bathroom sink, behind bookcases and even under your chair!

Regardless of their unusual choice of living locations, the WinRaR archive manager has been my favorite compression GUI for a long, long time. It is so advanced that it takes advantage of space-age DUAL CORE technology, and it handles just about any compression format you dare to throw at it. A+

nLite

Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation

Fantastic little utility to create custom ISO images from Microsoft Windows installation CDs. This program was probably mostly used to create slipstreamed Windows CDs with integrated SATA drivers so that the Windows setup could actually recognise your hard drives. Nothing more annoying than not having an old floppy drive with which to add drivers to your running Windows setup.

Other features include:

• Service Pack Integration
• Component Removal
• Unattended Setup
• Driver Integration
• Hotfixes Integration
• Tweaks
• Services Configuration
• Patches
• Bootable ISO creation

So if you’re a “hax0r” then this piece of software is the right thing for you. Also, it makes your internet faster.

Out of the few cartoons I was obsessed with as a child, Bravestarr stands out above the rest with superior characters, space-age cowboy stuff, mechanical steeds and a hot female judge that uses her gavel as a weapon. 65 Episodes of this amazing madness.

When I discovered the intro on youtube, I was enveloped into the fondest childhood memories my overused brain could possibly retain. From the “Filmation Presents” screen with the cracking whip to the homoerotic wink Bravestarr receives from his trusty steed named Thirty/Thirty, and flashes from his arch-nemesis Tex Hex! From what I understand, Tex Hex was raised from the dead by Stampede, the true reason behind Bravestarr’s many wasted hours fighting space-crime.

Tex hex is an interesting character because he was raised from a pile of bones, given magic powers including the ability to blow up mountains, and yet he has my grandma’s lips. I am actually certain that the grannylips added to his creepiness.

The appeal from this Marshall Bravestarr comes from his indian heritage, which apparently guarantees one access to spirits which grant magical powers. Strength of the bear, ears of the wolf, eyes of the hawk and speed of the puma! makes this native american a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, as with any Filmation cartoon series, there is a life lesson to be learned at the conclusion of each episode, where Marshall Bravestarr, trusty steed 3030 and the old barkeep “Handlebar” discuss morals whilst drinking “sweetwater”, whatever that might be. They might as well be drinking beer covered in brown paper bags - who cares it’s all the same. Every kid ended up there in any case.

But I digress.

I’ve been able to track down some of the episodes on youtube, and believe me I’ll be searching for the episodes on DVD.

Here are a few links to episodes on youtube:

• Strength of the Bear Part 1 Part 2
• The Good, The Bad and The Clumsy Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
• Space Zoo Part 1 Part 2
• Night of the Bronco-Tank Part 1 Part 2
• New Texas Blues Part 1 Part 2